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Richard Hamm/Staff Michael Bischof, left, hands off a baton to teammate Nicole Wright during the Southern Odyssey Relay Run Adventure in Athens, Ga. on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011. Teams of 12 runners started out in Athens and will run 200 miles to Acworth, Ga. in 24 hours during the relay event.

Athens runners have several weekends of races to take advantage of

Regional and health reporter

Dr. Kimberly Walpert remembers crossing the finish line for her first half marathon several years ago and seeing the faces of all the full-marathon runners — who already had finished their 26.2 miles — cheering her on.

Walpert will take to the road again, along with hundreds of other runners, for the Taste of Athens’ 10k on Saturday.

Running is a popular sport in the Athens-area, especially in the early spring, and there are races lined up every weekend from now until the end of March. As people continue to talk about health and obesity issues, local organizers seem to be holding more and more races in recent years, Walpert said.

Many of the races benefit a charity — for example, money raised through the Taste 10k will benefit the Community Connection of Northeast Georgia — something of a win-win for runners who can donate to a good cause and get fit at the same time, she said.

“They can do something that’s good for themselves, and contribute something in a larger way,” Walpert said.

Walpert started running a few years ago after her 40th birthday. She found a running partner in her sister, and though the two live in different cities, they encourage each other and hold the other accountable for race preparations, she said.

People interested in running should find a partner, if possible, and check with their doctor about any health issues that could make the sport dangerous for them, she said.

“I just think (running is) such an important part of staying healthy,” Walpert said.

People sometimes focus on particular parts of the body — a trend she’s seen as a doctor at Georgia Neurological Surgery — but running gives people the chance to think about the whole body’s health no matter what the experience level, she said.

“One of the great things about running is that you can have people of so many skill levels out at the same time,” she said. “You can do it on so many levels, you don’t have to be advanced.”

More and more people seem to be interested in running and organizers expect about 150 additional runners in this year’s Taste 10k, said Julie Meehan, the executive director of Community Connection for Northeast Georgia.

“I think that so many runners are attracted to Athens because of the number of opportunities (to run),” Meehan said.

About this time last year, about 85 people had registered for the race and 300 people ended up racing, she said.

“We have about a hundred more registered now than we were this time last year,” Meehan said.

She’s noticed many more races appearing in early spring, but the Taste 10k is gaining popularity among runners because it’s longer than many of the other 5k races, she said.

People who would like more information about running can check out “Chi Running” by Danny Dreyer and “Run Like A Girl,” by Mina Samuels, Walpert said.

“I’ve read both of them before I ran and then read both of them again since I started running,” she said.

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